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Wellbeing 3

LOCAL

NEWS

Wellbeing news from around your area...

Welcome
TO WELLBEING MAGAZINE!

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Wellbeing news

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LOCAL

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CHOLESTEROL
Words Kate Arnold

T

he subject of cholesterol
has been one of the most
controversial health issues
in the last twenty years.
There are over seven million people in
England taking statins and this number
is expected to rise steeply. If you are
concerned about your cholesterol or
going on statins I hope the below helps.
As an advocate of freedom of choice
in all things, I would suggest arming
yourself with as much information as
you can and then making informed
decisions that are right for you.

Some jaw dropping statistics
There is widespread concern about
the over prescription of certain
drugs. We have seen this particularly
with antibiotics in the last 30 years
and now the numbers on statins are
set to increase even further as the
Government’s new health checks for
the over-40s take effect. Analysis by
the NHS Information Centre, which
collects data on all drugs dispensed
in England, reveals there were 48.5m
prescriptions dispensed for statins in
2008, up from just 7m a decade ago.
The cost to the NHS was £238m
in 1999 and increased steadily to
a peak of £738m in 2004 before
dropping again as many big-name
brands came off patent. In 2008
the NHS spent £450.5m on statins.
Officials at the Department of Health
said statins save around 10,000 lives
a year. Statins, which can cost as
little as 85p for a month’s supply, are

8 Wellbeing

prescribed to people who have had
a heart attack, in order to reduce
the risk of suffering a second, and
to those who are calculated to be
at more than a one in five risk of
suffering their first heart attack in the
next 10 years.

What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is an essential part
of every cell structure and is
needed for proper brain and nerve
function. It is also the basis for the
manufacture of sex hormones.
Cholesterol is manufactured in the
liver and transported through the
blood stream to the sites where it
is needed. It is a fatty substance
and because blood is mainly water
it has to latch on to molecules
called lipoproteins to travel around
successfully. LDL’s are the major
transporters of cholesterol in the
bloodstream and because LDL’s
seem to encourage the deposit of
cholesterol in the arteries it is known
as bad cholesterol. High density
lipoproteins (HDL’s) on the other
hand are considered to be good
cholesterol because they carry
the unneeded cholesterol away
from the cells and back to the liver
where it is broken down for removal
from the body. If everything is
functioning as it should this system
remains in balance. However if
there is too much cholesterol for
the HDLs to pick promptly or if
there are not enough hdls to do the

job, cholesterol can form plaque
that sticks to artery walls and may
eventually cause heart disease.

What is the difference between
serum and dietary cholesterol?
It is important to distinguish between
serum cholesterol and dietary
cholesterol. Serum is the cholesterol
in the bloodstream, whilst dietary
cholesterol is in food. While eating
foods high in dietary cholesterol can
raise serum cholesterol it is not the
only source of serum cholesterol,
because the body produces its own
cholesterol. Cholesterol levels are
greatly influenced by diet but they
are also affected by your genetic
make up. The consumption of foods
high in cholesterol and or saturated
fat increases cholesterol levels while
a vegetarian diet regular exercise
and the nutrients niacin and vitamin c
may lower cholesterol.

What about the ratio between
HDL and LDL?
So now we know about good and
bad cholesterol - there is an extra
point to note - the ratio between
good and bad is a crucial part of the
cholesterol picture. The desirable
LDL level is considered to be less
than 2.6 mmol/L, although a newer
upper limit of 1.8 mmol/L can be
considered in higher risk individual. A
ratio of total cholesterol to HDL, less
than 5:1 is thought to be healthier.
Total cholesterol is defined as the

Are there any naturally
occurring statins?

sum of HDL, LDL, and VLDL. Usually,
only the total, HDL, and triglycerides
are measured. For cost reasons, the
VLDL is usually estimated as onefifth of the triglycerides. Don’t worry
if you are confused - it is confusing.
Essentially you are looking at least
at a 2:1, or 3:1 ratio of good to bad
cholesterol. The government have
set new standards for the overall
cholesterol which should be 5.0
mmol/L (4.0 if you have CHD).

What are Statins?
Statins or HMG-CoA reductase
inhibitors are a class of drug used to
lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting
the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase,
which plays a central role in the
production of cholesterol in the liver.
Increased cholesterol levels have
been associated with cardiovascular
diseases and statins are therefore
used in the prevention of these
diseases. Statins differ in their ability
to reduce cholesterol levels. Mostly in
my experience they do work however
doses should be individualized
according to patient characteristics.
The most common adverse side
effects are raised liver enzymes and
muscle problems. Certainly many
patients I see have complained of
muscle pains sometimes so bad they
have had to change brands or come
of them altogether. However it is not
always the case, and often people
can tolerate statins with no problems
whatsoever.

Yes! The oyster mushroom, a
culinary mushroom, naturally
contains lovastatin. Some types of
statins are naturally occurring, and
can be found in such foods as oyster
mushrooms and red yeast rice.
Randomized controlled trials found
them to be effective but I am not
advocating you go and eat loads of
oyster mushrooms!

And even if it has, will a change of
diet be beneficial? Like all debates,
the one about cholesterol has
two sides. You may want to read
The Great Cholesterol Con by Dr
Malcolm Kendrick although there
are many other books about the
“cholesterol myth”. These books
look at the evidence on which
present healthy eating dietary
recommendations are based.

So where does this leave me?
Why do I need to take
CoEnzyme Q10?
Co Q10 is a vitamin like substance
present in all cells. The heart, liver
and kidneys have the highest
CoQ10 content. Coenzyme Q10
(ubiquinone) levels are decreased in
statin use; Some statins can reduce
your CoQ10 levels by a staggering
40%. CoQ10 supplements are
sometimes used to treat statinassociated myopathy. It is certainly
a good idea to take between 30mg
and 90mg of CoQ10 if you are on
a statin. Circulating CoQ10 in LDL
prevents oxidation which in turn
helps prevents heart disease.

What’s the other side of the
story?
Over the past couple of decades
there has been growing concern
about fats and cholesterol.
Governments have introduced
policies based around the
reduction of fat. The evidence is
incontrovertible that if we do not,
we are doomed to heart disease.
Despite the certainty implied by the
propaganda, the debate continues
in the medical journals, behind the
scenes. Apart from those with a very
rare disease, has cholesterol got
anything to do with heart disease?

Well it probably leaves you confused.
But there is no need to be. If you
have raised cholesterol do go and
see your GP. Depending on the
figure and the levels of good and
bad cholesterol you may not be put
on a statin anyway as GP’s tend to
vary on their opinions on this. If you
don’t want to go on a statin and are
being pressured, ask your GP to
give you a couple of months and
see if you can bring it down through
diet, but you will need expert help
with this as it is not about cutting
out fat. That could possibly be the
problem with a lot of GP’s thinking
diet does not work because it is left
to the patient to dig around and do
it themselves with the knowledge
they have and often it doesn’t work
simply because they don’t have the
right information. It is not uncommon
for me to see cholesterol levels drop
from 12 to 5 mmol over a few months
but you do need to know what you
are doing. The fact that the average
cholesterol level in London is 5.8
and in Southern Japan is 3.8 must
tell you that diet plays a huge role in
cholesterol levels.
If you would like to learn how to
reduce your cholesterol safely then
get in contact on 01323 737814.
www.katearnoldnutrition.co.uk

Wellbeing 9

Wellbeing events

n
i
t
i
f
t
ge

BODY AND MIND
The Mind Body Spirit Festival 2011

Curious about meditation? Keen to
sample yoga or intrigued to explore
your spiritual side? Visit the Mind
Body Spirit Festival and enter a
fascinating new world of discovery.
Taking place on May 25th – 30th at
the Royal Horticultural Halls, Victoria,
London, the 2011 Mind Body Spirit
Festival brings together over 70 of
today’s leading teachers, experts,
authors and musicians in a six-day
event designed to empower and
revitalise your thoughts and body.
This year the Mind Body Spirit
Yoga and Movement Workshops
have been expanded to include a
stellar line up of new and exciting
experts, amongst them:- Leah
Bracknell, former Emmerdale actress
and yoga teacher who hosts ‘Yoga
for Life’- Hatha yoga for everyone.
The ever popular Howard Napper,
whose previous yoga DVD’s have
notched up an impressive 3.5
million sales, will be ‘Unlocking
the Mysteries of Longevity through
Yoga’. Bodywork veteran Ken
Eyerman presents ‘The Eyerman
Technique’, a combination of his
30 year experience of yoga and
Feldenkrais, whilst Maya Fiennes,
daily presenter on Body in Balance
TV, shares her unique style of yoga
and meditation based on Kundalini

10 Wellbeing

yoga to bring the body to experience
peace and happiness. All the way
from the USA, psychotherapist Chris
Linnares showcases ‘Diva Dance’ an
exciting new dance method designed
to empower women and build
confidence that was initially developed
to alleviate post natal depression and
shed unwanted weight.
Amongst the Yoga and Movement
presenters expect to also see:
wild man of yoga and creator of
Yogabeats, David Sye, Ya’Acov and
Susannah Darling Khan with their
extraordinary Movement Medicine,
best described as an integration of
physical, artistic, spiritual, shamanic
and therapeutic practices. Lisa
Sanfilippo with yoga against live
music, Carolyn Cowan offering
seated exercises, meditation and
mantra, and finally Roxana Hewett
and Mahasatvaa Sarita who will both
be hosting tantra workshops.

Get fit in body and mind
Other expert favourites include: Laura
Day (from the USA), most notable
for her work on developing ‘Practical
Intuition’ and glowing celebrity
endorsements from Demi Moore,
Jennifer Anniston, Brad Pitt and
Nicole Kidman. Dr Mark Atkinson ‘Journey to True Happiness’, Dr David
Hamilton – ‘The Power of Contagious

Thinking’, Alexandra Watson - ‘Feel
Happy & Confident’, Karen Kingston
- ‘21st Century Space Clearing’
Saskia Fraser ‘Raw Food for Clarity &
Energy’, and Barefoot Doctor ‘Taoist
Energy Medicine’.
With a staggering 73 workshops in
total, the Festival’s six day schedule
offers a fabulous range of subjects
ensuring there really is something of
interest to everyone.
Entertainment at the Festival
features an eclectic range of
over 80 free performances and
demonstrations including musical
concerts, yoga, tai chi, dance
and guided meditations, whilst
the marketplace stalls provide the
opportunity to sample new and
established healing techniques,
natural products, jewellery, clothing
and all manner of retail goodies.

GET INSPIRED
GROW TO IMPROVE YOUR WELLBEING
Words Pat Crawford, for Hadlow College

B

ASIL (Ocimum
basilicum), an annual,
is a fragrant and
flavourful plant that
has become our most popular
culinary herb and one that is
much appreciated by celebrity
television chefs
The essential oil of basil
has been shown to inhibit the
multiplication of various types
of bacteria, some of which
have become resistant to
antibiotics and said to include
staphylococcus, enterococcus,
pseudomonas, and e. coli.
Eugenol, which is found in the
essential oil, is known to have
an anti-inflammatory effect by
blocking the cyclooxygenase
enzyme. Pharmaceutical
products such as Aspirin and
Ibuprofen work by blocking this
same enzyme. Thus basil can
help to relieve the symptoms of
conditions such as rheumatoid
arthritis and some inflammatoryrelated bowel problems.
Basil is a good source of
vitamin A which helps to prevent
free radicals from oxidizing

12 Wellbeing

l
i
s
a
b

cholesterol in the blood stream
and building up in the blood
vessels. Magnesium, a mineral
that helps the heart and blood
vessels to relax and improves
blood flow, is also present and
this useful herb also contains
iron, calcium, potassium and
vitamin C.
The word ‘basil’ is a Greek
word that means ‘king’. The
plant has been cultivated for
thousands of years and it is
believed to have been growing
in the spot where Helen and
St. Constantine are said to
have found the Holy Cross
- the reason why the Greek
Orthodox Churches use it in
the preparation of holy water.
Basil is also revered in the
Hindu religion. Italian suitors
demonstrated their love by
wearing a sprig of basil in their
hair - and English and Italian
royal families added it to their
bath water!
Basil is a wonderfully versatile
ingredient. Good in soups, a few
leaves add piquancy to salads
and, made into pesto (crushed

basil, pine nuts and garlic) it is
particularly delicious with fish.
Finely chopped fresh basil is
a zingy addition to omelettes
and other egg dishes and torn
leaves make a refreshing and
very ‘summery’ starter with
slices of beef tomato and fresh
mozzarella cheese – plus a few
pine nuts and/or black olives.
Sprinkled with a light oil-andvinegar or balsamic vinegar
dressing and served with a glass
or two of chilled Pinot Grigio perfect for dining al fresco!
Basil is very easy to grow but
it is very frost sensitive and so
shouldn’t be sown outdoors until
the very end of May/beginning
of June. Seeds do well started
off indoors on a sunny window
sill. After about five weeks, the
seedlings will be ready to prick
out or transplant – but cooks
who use the herb on a very
regular basis often keep a pot
handy indoors so that they can
pluck leaves as and when.
Assuming seeds are going to
be started indoors, fill a couple
of pots with compost, water well

Tomato
Piperade
Piperade is a dish from
the Basque region of
southwest France. It is a
cross between scrambled
eggs and an omelette.
Serve it for brunch or as
a snack.

Ingredients

and leave to drain. Place seeds
on the surface of the compost –
do not ‘sprinkle’ but space them
evenly. Cover with a thin layer of
compost. Some gardeners like
to create mini-propagators by
covering the pots with clingfilm.
The seeds will germinate most
rapidly at a temperature of about
21-25 degrees centigrade.
In order to have fresh young
leaves to harvest, it’s a good
idea to sow seeds every four-five
weeks. Growing basil without the
use of pesticides means that it will
only require absolutely minimal
rinsing - one of the reasons celeb
chefs buy organic - good because
the leaves quickly go limp if
dowsed in a lot of water.
HADLOW, graded ‘Outstanding’
and one of the UK’s premier
colleges.
Hadlow offers
a wide range of career
(including degree) and
recreational courses for
horticulturists and gardeners,
including Medicinal Horticulture.
Telephone: 0500 551434
for information.

Instructions
1.Roughly chop the tomatoes. Chop the
spring onions and put together with the
chilli and garlic. Break the eggs into a
bowl and whisk together with the cream.
Season with salt and black pepper.
2.To prepare the olive oil bread: cut the
baguette in half lengthways and then in
half widthways. Brush the cut side of the
bread with olive oil. Heat a heavy based
frying pan or griddle and toast the bread
cut side down until crisp in the middle and
charred at the edges.
3.Melt the butter in a heavy based or non
stick frying pan. When foaming fry the
spring onion, garlic and chilli for a minute.
Add the tomato and fry briskly for another
minute. Now add the egg and, keeping a
brisk heat, stir briefly until just set.
4.Serve the Piperade straight away on
warm plates with a scattering of herbs
and the olive oil bread on the side.

A THIRD OFF
MEMBERSHIP TO

JustSlim
If you’re struggling to lose weight,
or even shift those stubborn last
few pounds, JustSlim, the healthy
weight loss plan designed by
nutritionist and former GB athlete
Caroline Pearce, will help you reach
your goal. The intuitive programme
combines your personal data,
weight loss target and food
preferences to create personalised
menus and recipes. JustSlim will
eliminate certain foods on request
so all dietary requirements can be
catered for. If you have a dairy
or wheat intolerance, nut allergy
or you are vegetarian, your plan
will be designed to provide tasty
alternatives either free from these
ingredients or with appropriate
substitutions.
JustSlim offers the perfect
support for a busy lifestyle. You’ll
eat six times a day to keep your
metabolism high and you will
receive the perfect balance of
protein, carbohydrate and fat for
your needs. JustSlim is based
on simple, healthy recipes using
everyday ingredients. Simply
access your plan at www.justslim.
net or opt for a daily email of what
to eat and when. It’s easy and
stress free!
Visit JustSlim.net and enter
code WELLBEING1 to receive
a third off membership. Plans
cost from £9.95 per month but
everyone can enjoy a free trial
at www.JustSlim.net
T&Cs 33% discount applies to all
packages excluding joining fee (joining
fee applies to the one month package
only). Offer expires 31st May 2011.

Wellbeing 13

Baby-led
weaning
the natural approach for your baby
Words Jody Page
Baby-led weaning has
become the latest trend, along
with baby massage and baby
yoga. For many mothers it
provides an alternative method
of weaning, instead of the
traditional route of starting with
purees then moving on to
lumpy foods and finger foods
Baby-led weaning (BLW) allows
babies to learn appetite control
naturally, so they eat when
hungry and stop when full. It is
thought that this may help reduce
the chance of obesity later in life.
BLW involves offering babies
a range of foods and allowing
them to explore and select their
foods and eventually self-feed.
Your baby will naturally put foods
of a suitable size into his or her
mouth, and if they accidentally
take in too much, it will simply be
spat out again.
Initially your baby might only
touch and play with the food,
before moving on to licking,
tasting and finally eating some.
Be warned, this can be a messy

14 Wellbeing

process, so you might want to
invest in a tray or messy mat,
a floor mat and some ‘catch-it’
bibs first!
Once your baby has developed
enough to grasp and pick up
food and guide it to their mouth,
they should be ready to chew
and swallow it. It’s best not to
place food in your baby’s mouth
for them but rather let them
explore it and take a gradual
approach to becoming confident
enough to try eating it.

How do I start?

Is it safe?

On the other hand, you might
find that the BLW approach on
its own suits you and your baby,
so you may skip spoon feeding
all together.

Gagging on food is a fairly
common occurrence in BLW,
and this can worry some
parents, but it is simply a baby’s
natural reflex to stop them
choking on food which they can’t
swallow. If you are apprehensive
about this, it is a good idea to
attend a first aid course aimed
at parents. Constant observation
is essential in any weaning
method, so sit with your baby
when they have any kind of food
and ensure they remain safe.

You might want to combine
an element of BLW alongside
spoon feeding, particularly if you
feel your baby needs a certain
amount of food and you need to
be sure of how much he or she
has eaten. However if your baby
is used to swallowing purees
first, they may then be inclined
to try and swallow larger foods,
increasing the likelihood of the
gag reflex coming in.

Most parents choose to start on
softer foods, which are easier
for babies to chew on, and
gradually progress to harder
foods and those which require
chewing or ‘gumming’
Jody Page, Director,
Harmony at Home Ltd Kent
www.harmonyathome.co.uk

Wellbeing children’s health
Pros and Cons of
baby-led weaning
Cons:
• Possible worries
about gagging –
book yourself onto
a baby and child
first aid course if in
doubt
• Other people may
stare when eating
in public
• If your own diet
is unhealthy, you
may find it difficult
to offer the right
foods
• It’s messy!
Pros:
• No pureeing,
blending, freezing
or defrosting
• Your baby can
explore textures
naturally in their
own time
• As you must
watch your baby
really closely this
promotes good
table interaction
and you can also
eat with your baby
more easily, and
eat
some
of the
same
foods,
leading
by

•

example
The nutritional
value of fresh
foods is greater
than those frozen
and defrosted

The following foods
should be avoided for
babies less than 12
months old:
Honey
Salt
Shark, swordfish or
marlin
Goats and sheep’s milk
Mould ripened soft
cheeses

Over six months old you
can try your baby with
other foods too:
Citrus fruits,
strawberries and kiwi
fruit

Wellbeing 15

THE NEXT COUNTY ...

ON THE TRAIL OF WILLIAM THE CON
Words Nick Hordern
Marking the 1100th anniversary of Normandy [911-2011], the
Normandy Tourist Board invites Englishman Nick Hordern to “Trace
his Norman Roots” only to discover Truth is stranger than Fiction

I

f, like me, you suffer from
Ferry Fever and arrive
half a day before check-in
time, here’s an idea to help
fill the waiting hours before
embarkation. Have a Thalasso.
This is now an option at Brittany
Ferries entry port for Caen,
Ouistreham, where the newly
opened Thalazur Spa offers
thalassos you can sail through!
This year, France celebrates
history: the 1100th anniversary
of the Founding of Normandy in
year 911 with a programme of
medieval pageantry and other
epochal events e.g. Jurassic
Coast’s Villers-sur-Mer’s new
museum commemorating
dinosaurs! If ‘9/11’ has tragic
twin-tower connotations, it is
worth remembering that the
Norsemen were the al-Qaeda of
the day, so much so that King
Charles the Simple of France
signed an accord with Viking
chief Rollo at Saint-Clair-sur-Epte
in 911 that gave these ravagers
Normandy, so long as they
kept out of Paris. Rather like
President Obama gifting Osama
bin Laden New England to spare
Washington DC, Chicago & LA.
By the time William the
Conqueror arrived in England,
won the Battle of Hastings,

16 Wellbeing

depicted graphically in the
Bayeux Tapestry, and was
crowned in Westminster Abbey
on Christmas Day, 1066, the
Vikings had become more
French than the French.
Calvados Tourist Director,
Armelle le Goff’s regal invitation
“To trace your Norman roots,
Nick,” was politesse, and issued
certainly without the expectation
that I’d come up with any
Norman ancestry.
I clambered aboard
Brittany Ferries’ ‘Normandie’
and crossed overnight
from Portsmouth to Caen.
Ouistreham, Caen’s port 15
kilometres north of the city, is
celebrating the ferry company’s
25th anniversary of servicing
this popular route since 1986.
From Caen, I continued due
south on the N158 the 33
kilometres to Falaise, where
I emerged before William’s
bronze statue and a castle
beyond, where the ‘Bastard’
drew his first breath in 1027.
There I met Mathias, a 6’6”
Frenchman with a gentle
manner. I recalled William was
gigantic, too. From the castle,
Robert the Magnificent, William’s
father, espied Arlette washing
her clothes in the fountain. Both

Caen-Abbaye des Hommes

17, she became his mistress
and they sired William, who
was proud of his sobriquet ‘The
Bastard’. William inherited the
Dukedom of Normandy, aged
6, his father died on a Crusade
in the Holy Land. I entered the
cell in the huge stone Keep
where William was born and
pondered the effect of this babe
conquering England.
When in 1066 our English
peasant forbears discovered
their throne was seized by a
foreigner, it is unlikely that a
split identity heralded a sprint
for the nearest psychiatrist’s
couch. After all, at our level,
it was merely exchanging one
despot, benevolent or otherwise,
for another – and at least this
one brought a strong monarchy,

Nick’s Coat of Arms - Proof that Truth is
stranger than Fiction

NQUEROR

Normandy?” he asked. “I have
news from the College of Arms.”
“About Kate Middleton?” “No.
Your great great grandfather,
James Hordern. His marriage
to Mary Radcliffe in 1827 links
us to Knight Templar Robert
de Ros and also our ancestor,
his Harcourt cousin, who built
a chateau. Both were linked by
blood to the Dukes of Normandy.
The Ros line is extinct – ergo, we
are the only surviving members
of that family to carry on the
connection”. Flippin’ heck ! I
thought. Where’s the nearest
shrink? In my cabin, the latest
unveiled kin to William the
Conqueror – conked out.

photo: Nick Hordern
Ouistreham, Thalazur Pool

and introduced the impregnable
French castle. With William
came French manners which
made English ways before
the Conquest appear almost
barbarous by comparison, new
ideals of chivalry and honour,
culture and a love of the arts,
of which the Anglo-Saxons and
Danes had very little. The softer
Norman speech became the
language of the upper classes,
but above all, William brought
realm expansion of a delectable
neighbouring part of France.
At Caen, I visited William’s
tomb at Abbaye des Hommes,
where he was laid to rest in
1087 - but not in peace. French
Revolutionaries ensured that of
the great warrior and statesman
there survives only a single

bone. My aching bones, from
scrambling over battlements,
were being pampered at
Ouistreham’s refurbished
89-room Thalazur, a play on
the Greek ‘thalassa’ or ‘sea’. I
luxuriated in the warm sea water
pool, and like the French extol
the beneficial effects on the skin
of seawater’s trace elements of
magnesium, potassium, calcium
sulphates and sodium. After a
massage and high pressure jet
water treatments, I had worked
up quite an appetite.
Over an exquisite dinner
hugely enjoyed by Spa guests
with gusto, with the dunes
backdrop of illuminated
port holes of Brittany Ferries
‘Normandie’, my mobile rang. It
was my nephew. “Are you still in

hildren’s reactions
to food from breast
feeding to starting
solids can seem to
be a mystery to many parents.
Why do they throw up after a
feed, what gives them wind,
why do they get constipated,
or get diarrhoea so easily? A
child’s metabolism is a delicate
thing and being careful about
the quality, quantity, time and
place of food consumed will go
along way towards preventing
digestive imbalances.
The mother’s intake of food

20 Wellbeing

and overall state of wellbeing
contributes to the quality of
breast milk and how well a baby
feeds. Kapha predominant food
such as milk, ghee, almonds, rice
and dates are good for creating
abundant, healthy breast milk.
It is preferable to stir away from
stimulating food such as chilli,
onion and garlic, Vata increasing
vegetables such as cabbage and
lettuce and caffeinated drinks.
However it is not only what the
mother eats that influences
feeding but how she feels. If
she is restless and anxious, the

baby will find it harder to settle
on the breast and is more likely
to have difficulties with wind. The
Ayurvedic advice in most cases
of babies with imbalances is that
you treat the mother and then the
problem with the child clears up.
For breast feeding difficulties
it is important for the mother
to pacifying Vata. This can
be helped by her partner and
extended family. She should
be as rested as possible, avoid
travel, favour a diet of warm,
freshly cooked, easy to digest
food and limit daily visitors

Wellbeing children’s health

Words: Wendy Rosenfeldt

wanting to handle the new
baby. A gentle, warm, sesame
oil massage for both the mother
and baby will assist in balancing
Vata and settling colic or wind.
Fennel tea, sipped throughout
the day by the mother can also
soothe digestive problems in
breast fed babies.
When starting your child off on
solid food it is important for it to
be easy to digest. This does not
simply mean mushy. Bananas
and avocados squish up easily
and can seem to be a good
start for babies however they

are heavy in nature and while
the baby’s digestive system is
still getting used to food they
can cause tummy aches and
constipation. Mashed zucchini,
stewed apples and cooked
grains that are light in nature such
as couscous or semolina are
easy to digest. Freshly cooked
food is ideal as it contains the
most nutritional value. Food that
has been cooked, then frozen
and then reheated has less of
its original life force and is less
satisfying to eat.
If your child gets constipated
easily ensure that their food
is warm, light and soupy. A
warm oil massage for your child
before a bath can help relax the
digestive system and keep your
child regular. Soaked raisins,
figs and prunes are also helpful
for toddlers and older children.
Avoid bananas, potato and have
avocado only in small amounts
until the problem clears.
Children with a tendency
towards diarrhoea should reduce
Pitta increasing foods such as
tomatoes, oranges, corn and
spicy tastes. Favouring cooling
foods such as zucchini, squash,
coconut milk, cow’s milk and
grains such as rice, couscous
and semolina will also help to
restore balance. If a child has
had long periods of diarrhoea
it is important to introduce food
again slowly. Keep it plain

and light until your child has
recovered; steamed basmati rice
is gentle on the system and is a
good food to start with.
Constipation is due to excess
Vata while aggravated Pitta can
result in diarrhoea. Looking at the
bigger picture is an essential part
of Ayurveda. Situations involving
change, travel, excitement and
overstimulation can create
irregularities and imbalances in
the digestive system. Emotions
of anxiety, fear, anger or grief can
also impact on how your child
digests their food causing tummy
aches or lack of interest in food
altogether. Keeping a predictable
routine of meals and bedtime,
using Ayurvedic aroma oils and
teas and spending time in nature
can help to maintain balance in
times of change or emotional
upheaval.
Wendy Rosenfeldt is a
Maharishi Vedic Health
Educator, Maharishi Ayurveda (R) Consultant and
teacher of Transcendental
Meditation. Wendy gives
personal Ayurvedic consultations and runs seminars in all
areas of Maharishi Ayurveda
specializing in women’s and
children’s health.
For more information email
wendy.rosenfeldt@invincibleaustralia.org w
ww.wendyrosenfeldt.com

Part three in the July/August issue looks at Teething

Wellbeing 21

22 Wellbeing

the healing touch
Words: Lydia Davis

Reiki’s popularity as an alternative approach to healing for both
adults and children continues to grow, despite being spurned by
scientists, discovers Lydia Davis

I

n 1922, Dr Mikao Usui, a
Japanese doctor, escaped
the stress of a failing business
to spend time meditating
on the sacred Mount Kurama. It
was here he claimed to receive
enlightenment of a healing
process that could help others by
harnessing universal energy to
restore the body, mind and spirit.
And so Reiki was born.
This simple approach to
healing is being increasingly
used in the West to improve
health and mental well-being. It
works on the basis that ‘universal
life energy’ is channelled
through the practitioner to
the recipient through seven
chakras, or energy centres, in
the body. Illness is an indication
that a chakra is blocked or
unbalanced.
Reiki Master Kim Pierce, 42,
explains: “When there is poor health,
a practitioner looks for the source
of energy disruption. Sickness is a
body signalling that the natural flow of
energy is disturbed and needs to be
redressed.”

Kim finds her clients usually
arrive with “an intention”, a
specific area they want healed;
but this is by no means a prerequisite to Reiki, and she finds
that “people come because they
just have a general feeling that
something isn’t right in their lives”.
Recipients assert that Reiki
produces deep relaxation, and
a tangible reduction in stress
and depression. Practitioners
also claim it can return focus to a
person’s life, a belief reinforced by
Kate Packwood. Kate, 43,
used Reiki at a time when
she felt overwhelmed by the
combined pressures of a move
abroad and raising a family.
She says: “I was at a point
where I was feeling low and
very isolated and looking for
answers. I decided to let a
friend give me a Reiki session
and it completely exceeded my
expectations. It offers a really
attractive way of dealing with
the world, a philosophy which
while not necessarily easy to
put into practice, offers a way to

make your life more settled and
peaceful. I think it’s something you
can do for your family, not just for
yourself.”
Evidence suggests that Reiki
can be highly beneficial for
children, who tend to be more
open to the experience than
adults. Twelve months ago,
Jessica Williams arranged
sessions for her 11 year-old son,
who has a mild learning disorder.
She describes the outcomes as
remarkable: “Instead of placing
demands on him and requiring
him to perform in some way,
his Reiki sessions allow him to
see the strength he has within
him. He comes out beaming
with happiness, and we’ve seen
massive improvements in his
self confidence and abilities in
school.”
Yet the therapy has suffered
no small amount of scepticism:
practitioners continually
defend Reiki against the claim
that it is nothing more than a
placebo. In 2008, a review of
randomized trials carried out

Wellbeing 23

Wellbeing reiki

to asses Reiki‘s success in
counteracting, amongst other
things, depression, pain and
stress, declared: “The evidence
is insufficient to suggest that
Reiki is an effective treatment.”
The results of the trials were
published in the International
Journal of Clinical Practice, and
claimed there was no difference
found in the response of patients
treated with Reiki to those
administered with a placebo
treatment.
Independent research into Reiki
is ongoing but some studies
do counterbalance these
allegations; in 2001, medical
researchers at the University
of Texas carried out a series
of tests, and concluded that
patients treated with Reiki
attained a heightened state of
relaxation, which reduced both
anxiety and blood pressure.
But as Kim points out: “Even if
you couldn’t scientifically prove
Reiki, it’s unfair to reject it for
that reason. Reiki is based in
intuition. It’s about listening to
our bodies and gut-feelings
rather than living solely in the
rational, and that’s something
we can all benefit from doing
more of.”

24 Wellbeing

If you’ve ever considered
practising Reiki, here is an
overview of the three levels of
training:
Beginner’s Reiki:
Level 1 or First Degree of
Reiki teaches basic theory
and enables beginners to heal
through touch. Although this is
primarily focused on self-healing,
it also allows individuals to
heal others. The training time is
usually one to two days, but it
must be regularly practiced to
remain valid. The course at this
level is often taken purely for
self-development.
Second Degree, or Advanced,
Reiki
The second degree leads to a
greater understanding of Reiki
practice and requires three
months of Level 1 practice
before it can be started. The
training includes additional
healing and meditation
techniques. When completed,
the healer is able to practice
‘distance-healing’, that is, send
Reiki by thought, without the
recipient being present.
Third Degree Reiki or Master/
Teacher level
This level is also known as
the Master/Teacher level, and
when completed, the student
is referred to as a Reiki Master.
Having reached this degree, a
person is able to attune others to
all Reiki degrees. The number of
days taken to learn this degree
is not definite, as most teachers
require their students to serve an
apprenticeship under them for a
varying amount of time.

photos courtesy of

www.YourHandsCanHealSchoolOfReiki.co.uk

Wellbeing 25

BE HERE NOW
making each moment count

T

he title of this article is a
homage to the seminal
quote by Ram Dass,
formerly Dr Richard
Alpert, the Harvard psychology
professor who turned his back
on Western thinking to become
a yogi and spiritual teacher.
His book titled ‘Be Here Now’
was his 1971 ‘countercultural
bible’ that helped introduce a
generation of hippies to Eastern
philosophy. Still in print today,
it stands as testament to the
need for a more present, aware
and nurturing mindset in the
everyday commercial world.
I liked the psychedelic words
and pictures of this book as a
teenager but the idea of ‘living
in the present moment’ didn’t
awaken in me until passing out
through years of depression and
illness. I went to my first yoga
class after realising that I never
really existed in the present; I
just spent time either gnawing
on how the past had damaged
me or worrying about the future.
And this was exhausting me. So
I started a yoga course to find a
way to try and ground or anchor
myself in the now.
Two things became clear to
me very quickly; that this was all
about the breath (and mine felt
stuck and difficult) and that our
modern world is built to tempt
us away from the present most

26 Wellbeing

Words Charlotte Watts
of the time. Whether we are
getting caught up in our brain’s
tendencies to analyse, comment
and criticise or that these traits
are fuelling worry that keeps us
speculating about the future, the
huge front brains that make us
human can also work against us

“The heart
surrenders
everything to the
moment. The mind
judges and holds
back.”
— Ram Dass
I had always suffered from an
overactive and self-destructive
mind and really wanted to be
able to ‘let go’ and simply walk
down the street with a free mind.
Over the years, yoga and its
emphasis on breath and stilling
the mind has given me the
space to stop and find space
when I need, recognise when I
have gone off-track and be able
to connect with the world around
me to settle back in the present.
And I am not alone, this global
need has shown itself in the
success of Eckhart Tolle’s book
The Power of Now which has
sold over 3 billion copies since
the late 1990s. Tolle was listed
the most influential spiritual
person in the world by the 2011

Watkins Review. This guide to
becoming conscious of the ‘now’
has bought this fundamental
cornerstone of Eastern
philosophy into the Western
mainstream.

“As soon as you
honor the present
moment, all
unhappiness and
struggle dissolve,
and life begins to
flow with joy
and ease.” –
Eckhart Tolle
The popularity of the Power
of Now shows that this stuff isn’t
esoteric, it is a basic truth that
if ignored can leave us feeling
unable to cope and overwhelmed.
But what does living in the present
actually mean?
Connecting with our more
primal selves to actually notice
what is going on around us
rather than rush past
To connect with our intuition
and instinct to feel rather than
think about what any given
situation requires
To accept that good things
and bad things happen, but we
learn, let go and move on
To look for opportunities to feel
joy, ease and peace in our lives
and in our relationships with others

Wellbeing health
I have several key things that
work for me to find a bit of peace
in all the noise:
l Continually look at the world
around you – noticing the little
details of trees, buildings,
situations helps to bring you out of
the constant noise of your head.
l De-clutter both in life and
therefore your mind – lots of stuff
just serves to keep us distracted
and disengaged.
l Find a bit of space daily – we
can get into the trap of waiting
until holidays or weekends to
relax but our bodies and minds
need to restore continually. This
can be sitting on a bench in the
sun, lying in the bath or anything
that focuses you to stop and
gather in.
l Don’t feel you have to ‘do’ all

the time – we can lose the ability
to ‘not do’, to move away from
the constant stimulation and
reactions to the world around
us. This can be scary at first but
focussing on the breath can help
us centre into the silence.
l Look to find the present
moment in the most mundane
activities – when washing up
or doing the ironing, use the
opportunity to let your brain rest
and find the repetition action
meditative.
Charlotte practises as a
Nutritional Therapist and Yoga
Teacher in Brighton –
www.charlottewattshealth.com
Learn to live in the present
with Charlotte at Yoga Classes,
Workshops and Holidays (see
Yoga Holiday Feature Page 18)

A simple daily breathing practice
of 10-15 minutes can help
encourage your ability to connect
to the present in daily life:
1) Sit or lie comfortably, allowing
your chest to open, shoulders to
drop and belly to rise and fall freely.
2) Simply observe your breath,
don’t try to affect or change it, just
step back and allow it to settle into
a natural rhythm.
3) Bring your awareness from your
front brain or mind and down into
your belly and pelvis; imagine this
connection down your spine into
your pelvis or root.
4) Continue to breathe right to the
end of each breath, with a soft
jaw, face and throat – if thoughts
arise, do not react or attach to
them, simply ‘step aside’ and
move back to the breath.

Wellbeing 27

28 Wellbeing

Wellbeing 29

ARE YOU AFRAID OF LOSING YOUR JOB?
Words: Nick Williams

M

any people lost their
jobs in 2010 and I
think many more
are likely to do so
in 2011. This can obviously be
very scary. My invitation is to take
it as an opportunity to stop and
take stock, dig deep, ask new
questions, and raise your sights,
not lower them. Obviously one of
the major reasons we work is for
pay, and losing your work creates
a necessity to earn money.
But the way you can create
income today has never been so
full of possibilities. Many people
are being honest and saying to
themselves, “I am losing a job
that I never liked much anyway,
but never had the impetus to
leave. Now I have been pushed,

what new choices might I like to
make?”
I left a secure but very unfulfilling
corporate career selling
computers to foreign banks
twenty years to create work
that was more meaningful to
me. I now write, have become
a best selling author, and travel
the world inspiring, educating,
coaching and mentoring others
who feel a call to find and follow
their own authentic life. Although
my change was self initiated
rather than forced upon me, I
have learned a lot about making
positive change through my
own experiences and helping
thousands of others create
successful businesses around
work they love.

Here are five tips that can help you use you to make losing your job, or the fear of losing your job, into
an opportunity for greater happiness and fulfilment.
1. Begin to think of yourself a brand begin to break with the belief that
your security comes from having a
job with someone else. Your security
always has and always will come from
your own strengths, skill, experience,
expertise, talents and abilities, even
as an employee. This is always what
you have been hired for, and the more
you become aware of and understand
what your strengths and passions
are, the more secure you will become.
Being your own brand means
understanding your own uniqueness,
understanding how your unique adds
value to others and then packaging
your brilliance and finding the people

30 Wellbeing

who can benefit from your strengths.
2. Raise your sights, not lower
them - rather than reacting through
fear, you have an opportunity to think
bigger, happier and greater ways.
An empowering way to do this is to
ask yourself great questions. So take
a pause and ask yourself questions
like, “What would you love to do?,
What dreams have I been neglecting
that I could re-visit? What greater
opportunities are beckoning me?
How have I been playing smaller
than I am capable of?” Today, it has
never been more possible to build
work or a business doing work that
you enjoy, have a passion for and

are good at. Indeed, I would even
suggest that following your joy and
passion are the new security, not
sacrificing yourself doing work you
don’t enjoy.
3. Be willing to pioneer - it can be
tempting to think what you’ve always
thought and do what you’ve always
done. Especially as adults, we can
find it hard to make new starts, to
take steps in which we are beginners
and lack confidence. We don’t like
being less than competent. But this
can be a great opportunity to pioneer
and start a new phase, to pioneer,
to take everything you have learned
and become and start a new chapter.

Even a baby step in a new direction
can initiate you and get you across
a new threshold. Ask yourself, “What
new chapter is beckoning you? Where
are you being called to pioneer?”
4. Move in the direction of your
dreams and fears - it is tempting to
regard fear as a stop sign, but when
you are pioneering and moving in
the direction of your dreams, you are
likely to experience fear, doubt and
what call resistance. That’s actually
a sign that you are right on track.
It is counter-intuitive, but you grow
greater than your fears by facing
them. You discover more resources
within yourself by putting yourself

in unfamiliar territory. So be honest
about what you know in your heart
you’d love to do, but are afraid to do.
5. Get yourself great support - it
can be hard to make significant
positive change on your own. The
gravitational pull back to old, habitual
and familiar ways is always strong.
So consider getting coaching,
mentoring, joining groups, reading
inspiring books, listening to audio
or watching video programmes that
support you and feed your mind
with new ideas, inspiration and
information. You will evolve at the rate
of the people that you spend most
time with, so spend time nurturing

your inspiration and starving your
resistance.
You have tremendous potential and
talent within you. Now could be just
the time to step up to an even richer,
happier and more successful life.
Nick Williams has spent the last 15
years helping to illuminate the world
of work. The author of six books,
including the best selling The Work
We Were Born To Do and most
recently The Business You Were
Born To Create. He is passionate
helping people be happy and
fulfilled in their work. www.inspiredentrepreneur.com, /www.facebook.
com/entrepreneurclub

Wellbeing 31

THRIVING,
NOT SURVIVING
We live in uncertain times. After decades of reckless borrowing and overspending,
we now face years of cuts and job losses. As if that wasn’t unsettling enough, the
media seems determined to crank up our anxiety. Open a newspaper or watch the
TV news on any given day and you’ll encounter a barrage of bad-news stories.
If you’re prone to worry, stress or anxiety, this makes it hard to maintain
your mental equilibrium. But the key to facing tough times with strength and
resilience is to separate the genuine challenges – especially those that directly
affect you or your loved ones – from the melodramatic and made-up.
Even if redundancy is a very real prospect, or your business looks set to
struggle, the way you face up to those challenges will determine the way they affect
you. Cuts or no cuts: whether you thrive or barely survive is entirely up to you.

It’s all about perception
Have you ever wondered why, when two people are facing exactly the same life
stressor – redundancy, divorce, family conflict – one takes it in their stride while
the other crumbles? It’s because the way these major stressors affect you is all
down to the way you perceive them. My clients are always telling me, ‘My boss
really stresses me out,’ or ‘My relationship makes me miserable.’
In fact, nothing can ‘make’ us stressed or miserable – only we have the power
to do that. Coming back to our current economic travails, if you know your
department has to make redundancies this year and you want to stress yourself
out about it, think things like this: ‘They are bound to get rid of me – I just know
it,’ or ‘If I lose this job, my life will be ruined!’
As you read those statements, you may well have felt a little shiver of anxiety –
that’s because these ‘hot thoughts’, as they are known in cognitive therapy, cause
an instant jolt of emotion. If I were your coach, I would help you identify these
unhelpful thoughts and replace them with more realistic and constructive ones.
A quick tip: if you often think this way, write the thoughts down and then
challenge them. Ask yourself, where is the evidence for this? Do you know with
100 per cent certainty your job will go, or are you just ‘fortune telling’ (predicting
the future based on guesswork) or focusing on the negative (selecting the one
negative fact and ignoring nine positive ones)?
Or try the ‘best friend test’. Would you tell your friend their life faced ruin? Of
course not, so why be that harsh with yourself?

As one door closes…
Not to belittle the very real fear and
anxiety that losing your job can
cause, even if you do get made
redundant, it’s unlikely to ruin your
life. Think about it: do you really
love your job? Very few people can
honestly answer yes. So why not use
some of your redundancy settlement
to change your life? Start that
business you’ve always dreamed
of. Or retrain to do something that
genuinely feeds your soul.
Downsize to take the financial
pressure off and work part-time or for
a charity. Ask your partner to shoulder
more of the burden while you spend
time with the kids – at least until the
economy picks up again.
Look for growth areas (there are
plenty right now, despite what
you read in the papers). Green
technology, for example, is a huge
growth area in the UK. Start planning
now: taking control of your life, being
optimistic and seeing yourself as
strong and resilient are some of the
most powerful stress-busting tools at
your disposal.
Life is miraculous, but short. Do you
want to waste precious years feeling
stressed, anxious or unhappy? Or
live a life you love, thriving despite
the challenges we all must face? It
really is up to you.

As the Wellbeing Coach, Dan Roberts is an expert on health and personal growth. He coaches clients in
north London and the City, and by phone/Skype on issues like stress, anxiety, confidence, career, relationships and all-round physical and mental wellbeing. Call Dan on 07766 704210 or visit www.danroberts.com

32 Wellbeing

Therapy

Wellbeing clinics & treatments

ROOMS

Welcome to the Therapy Rooms, where you will find solutions and ideas to support your
health and wellbeing. We encourage you to contact our clinics and therapists to find out how,
they can help you to improve your health, fitness and knowledge. Enjoy and be inspired.